HER MAJESTY QUEEN SOFÍA OF SPAIN ACCEPTS INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY RIGHTS AWARD

NEW YORK – September 9, 2013 – “If you don’t like something, change it. If something bothers you, confront it.”  These powerful words from a Spanish public service announcement represent the efforts the Kingdom of Spain has made toward improving the human rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in their country. The public service announcement was shown as part of today’s award ceremony honoring Spain’s efforts.

At the ceremony Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain accepted the Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Rights Award on behalf of the Kingdom of Spain.  David B. Roosevelt, grandson of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presented the award to Her Majesty.  Also in attendance were Ivan Šimonović,UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Annette Lantos, wife of the late Congressman Tom Lantos, and other dignitaries.

Sponsored by the Lantos Foundation and the Roosevelt Institute, the award recognizes the significant progress Spain has made in advancing the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all societal areas.  

Susan B. Parker, Senior Advisor & Lead Judge for the award said, “Spain has taken the time to establish broad reaching legislation and implement that same legislation at the national level, at the regional level, and at the local level…They don’t just talk about it; they do it.”

The award is presented to a nation for noteworthy progress in upholding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to encourage effective, long-term, positive progress by nation states toward inclusion, equal rights, and quality of life for their citizens with disabilities

The award consists of a bronze bust of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States, who contracted polio at the age of 39, and although a paraplegic, unable to walk or stand again unassisted, was four times elected by the American people. Additionally, a $50,000 cash award is given to a non-governmental organization working on behalf of persons with disabilities within the winning nation. 

The Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities (CERMI) received this year’s cash award.  CERMI’s mission is to guarantee equal opportunities for women, men, and children with disabilities and to protect their human rights, ensuring they are fully included in society.

For more information about the award please visit our website.

Statement on President Obama Questioning President Putin on the Fate of Holocaust Hero, Raoul Wallenberg

The Wallenberg Family’s announcement that President Obama has agreed to raise the question of Raoul Wallenberg’s fate with Russian President Putin is welcome news to the Lantos Family and to the untold thousands who were rescued due to his heroism during World War II. Without Wallenberg’s extraordinary efforts, neither of my parents would have survived the Holocaust. They both dedicated their lives to seeking his freedom from the Russian gulag and, subsequently, to honoring Raoul’s memory and emulating his commitment to human rights. In fact, my mother, Mrs. Annette Lantos first brought up Wallenberg’s fate with another American President, Jimmy Carter, during a public radio call-in show in the 1970s. My father’s first act as a newly elected member of Congress was to introduce legislation which made Raoul Wallenberg an honorary American citizen - only the second individual so honored in our nation’s history. Today the Lantos Foundation continues their commitment to this remarkable humanitarian and diplomat by working to preserve Raoul Wallenberg’s memory and his rightful place in history as one of the greatest heroes of the Holocaust.

We are gratified by this news that the US government is going to reengage on Wallenberg’s fate after he disappeared in the Russian Gulag in 1945. The Wallenberg family richly deserves the answers they have been waiting nearly 70 years to hear.

Queen Sofía of Spain to Receive International Disability Rights Award at United Nations

WHAT: The Kingdom of Spain will be honored at the United Nations as the 2013 recipient of the Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Rights Award.  The award encourages United Nations member states to work toward full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all societal areas in keeping with United Nations Standards set forth in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The award is sponsored by the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and the Roosevelt Institute.

The Spanish Committee of Representatives of Persons with Disabilities (CERMI) has been chosen as the recipient of a $50,000 cash grant.

WHO: Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain will accept the award presented by David B. Roosevelt, in the presence of Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović and other dignitaries.

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, 10:45 am to 12:00 noon

WHERE: Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations, New York, NY (47th Street and 1st Avenue entrance)

CONTACT: Denise Perron, Lantos Foundation, (603) 226-3636, (603) 290-1067, or deniseperron@lantosfoundation.org     

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  www. fdr-disability-rights-award.org

Note: Media who do not already have United Nations credentials should contact the Spanish Mission at pressoffice@spainun.org, no later than 12pm on Friday September 6th with their full name, ID, date of birth, affiliation and position (photo journalist, writer, video operator, etc.). Media who are credentialed should also contact pressoffice@spainun.org to indicate they will be attending.

An Update From Our 2012 Lantos Prize Recipient - Chen Guangcheng

2012 Lantos Human Rights Prize recipient & human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, asked that the following information be shared with Lantos Foundation supporters:

Last Sunday, Chen Guangcheng heard from his older brother, Chen Guangfu, who lives in China, reporting that there were police surrounding their village. For four days, at every entrance to the village, a police car and 4 uniformed police as well as plain-clothed men were stationed 24 hours a day, watching and following whoever entered or left the village. As far as we know, as of this posting no one has been questioned or prevented from moving about, but there is concern about what this means and where it will lead.

The Chinese government continues to use intimidation tactics against anyone they perceive as a threat to their oppressive political control over the Chinese people and Chen’s family remains a particular target of the government. As we receive more information we will pass it along.

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City announced this week the creation of the 2009 Rep. Tom Lantos International Studies Scholarship

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City announced this week the creation of the 2009 Representative Tom Lantos International Studies Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship, which will be administered through FIT's Department of International Trade and Marketing, is being funded by Computer Generated Solutions, Inc. (CGS). Phil Friedman, President & CEO of CGS, was a close personal friend of Congressman Lantos and has decided to give an annual scholarship honoring him and promoting his humanitarian values and global views among future generations. Paul Magel, Senior Vice President of CGS, who also serves in the ITM Advisory Board, invited ITM to establish this scholarship.

The scholarship will be awarded to a full-time ITM student with a strong academic record and excellent written and oral skills, as well as a desire to participate in global issues during their career. The recipient is expected to speak at CGS' annual conference in Las Vegas on Monday, 27 October, 2008 with travel expenses paid by the company. In addition, the recipient will be eligible for a summer internship with the company with possible permanent career opportunities there. 

Interested students can learn more here

Lantos Foundation Awards Grant to a One Woman Crusader

Retired Teacher Erases Over 90,000 Displays of Anti-Semitic Graffiti

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice is pleased to announce that a Front Line Grant has been awarded to 68-year old Irmela Menshah Schramm, a one-woman crusader who has single-handedly fought neo-Nazi hate by documenting and then removing anti-Semitic graffiti, stickers, and posters from the streets of Berlin and greater Germany for over 25 years.

Schramm’s tools are a white bag, camera, paint brushes, paint solvents, and a can of black spray paint. Each morning since 1985, she has made it her mission to find, scratch off, erase, or cover up these hate-filled messages. Schramm pays for her ‘tools’ out of her own money.

The Front Line Fund grant will be used to help Ms. Menshah Schramm offset expenses in her continuing work to remove anti-Semitic graffiti in an effort to eliminate this hatred and promote tolerance in her community.

The work that Ms. Menshah Schramm undertakes often puts her in great personal danger; death threats and brutal beatings are popular scare tactics used by the extremist movements she faces. Despite the probability of violent attacks, her own medical complications, and the general indifference of her society, Ms. Menshah Schramm devotes every day of her life to the cause of combating this poison.

The recent resurgence of anti-Semitic crime and hate-speech is of particular concern to the Lantos Foundation. “Citizens like Irmela Schramm, who actively work to combat hatred and bigotry wherever they come across it are an invaluable force in working to create societies built upon mutual respect and acceptance. The Lantos Foundation is very pleased to offer a Front Line Grant to support the work and mission of Ms. Menshah Schramm,” said Foundation President Katrina Lantos Swett.